Affiliate Marketing Secrets

When I talk to people about trying out internet marketing, talk to my dad about HOW MUCH BETTER it would be than FLIPPING BURGERS, people think I’m deceived, that I will fall for a scam.
Yet, most affiliate networks are not scams and they do pay. Yes there’s people making money online.
And guess what the general public’s attitude towards THEM is? Internet marketers are “scammers too lazy to get a real job”.
Why?

I want to work from home with CPA (Cost Per Action) marketing. Generally CPA companies aren’t “get rich quick” scams, but rather advertising networks which allow a website owner to put ads on their website and make money.
They pay every time your website’s visitor clicks on their offers and either enters an e-mail or fills out a survey.
They do require SSN, as do most other affiliate networks.
Suppose that I know what I am doing and I want to put certain ads on my blog to earn money.
Would it be safe to provide my SSN to a company like Blam Ads? How about some other affiliate marketing company?
If it is not safe, then what is the alternative? Many people work for these companies, earning thousands. However, most require SSN in the application. So how do I get hired by one of these businesses without putting myself at risk?
And if this is all a bad idea, then what do I do with my blog?

I have a casting call with Wilhelmina of PA Saturday however I know a few things about scams, since I am a aspiring actress and have done my research to avoid these scams. I know all about John Robert Powers, etc. Based off of my research agencies only operate during the work week and not the weekends. Also Wilhelmina of PA does not charge a joining fee but will charge you to pay for your photo shoots (testing), composite cards, and other related marketing fees. Compared to the reputable Wilhelmina Models website does not allow access to portfolios unless you are an authorized clientele; whereas Wilhelmina of PA allows access to these portfolios. Also I would assume that along with the portfolios shown on the W. PA site there would be a listing of credible clients they have worked with thus far. Now take in mind that Wilhelmina of PA has just launched in 2009, also Wilhelmina of PA IS LISTED AS A AFFILIATE OF WILHELMINA MODELS. http://www.wilhelmina.com/affiliates.cfm So I am confused, why would Wilhelmina Models list Wilhelmina of PA as an affiliate if they are in fact a scam.

Every time I see an ad on YA, it’s for a product that’s well-known to be a scam: penny stocks, acai berry, “miracle” muscle-growth supplements. For example, I see the “John Bell wants to share his secrets on hacking the stock market” ad every single day, yet a cursory search online will show it’s a complete scam and impossible to implement.
Is Yahoo not responsible for the ads on here? Are they being handled by some third party?

This is basically regarding a job offer I received from Full Circle http://www.fciweb.net/ sounds like a scam to me, and I believe they are somehow affiliated with Smart Circle. I went to the first interview, no longer than 5 minutes, was called back for a second one, went out into “the field” and saw what I would be doing. I would be selling DirectTV for 100% commission for a good 10-12 hour day. It was somewhat enjoyable considering my interview only lasted an hour and a half, but since I’ve never done sales and I’m right out of college I was skeptical that they would hire me. I was taken back to the office after being told the entire day that they were only looking to fill 3 or 4 spots out of 200 or more applicants and that I should show a lot of enthusiasm towards the position because there were so many applicants and all that jazz. They made it sound like being selected for a second interview was a rather huge deal. I walked into the office, immediately the “manager” shook my hand and said welcome aboard. Sounds like **** to me. I “start” tomorrow, I begin a 10 hour day of walking around Best Buy and trying to get people to sign up for DirectTV, I’ll probably talk to 300 or more people and get less than 4 to actually sign, according to my “trainer”. I was told it was a 4 to 6 month process into management, however with only some college and a degree goal that’s completely irrelevant to Marketing and no experience in sales and they still hired me on the spot practically, I was clearly lied to at some point. Do you know anything about these companies, If this job is bull please share your opinions so I don’t waste my time.
I need advice on how to avoid these scams. I’m barley about to graduate and I’m already being faced with these scams all over the internet, what is real and what isn’t?
Full Circle (I can’t find much on this company at all, its located in Atlanta)
Smart Circle International (Parent company probably)

I know about affiliate marketing and all that and I would like to get into that but I don’t really know what to do. Are there any systems I can get that are not scams? Because you always see the scams about how people have lost all there money. I also need something that can be refunded if needs be.?